Bi- Courtney laments operational challenges

Bi- Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) has said it has been sinking money in providing services and maintaining the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos Domestic Terminal (MAA2), which it built under the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) arrangement.

The company said the terminal had not generated enough money for its maintenance since it became operational five years ago; rather, it had to source money from other businesses to fund its operations.

The spokesman of the company, Steve Omalale-Ajulo, said for the five years the terminal had been in operation, it had not recorded total black out as witnessed in other airport terminals in the country because the company had continued to provide reliable and modern alternative power source, which it is upgrading.

“We spend a lot to keep this place going and what we spend is enormous. That is one of the challenges we are facing. The second challenge is that people owe us. Airlines owe us; some clients; some tenants here owe us; then the debt the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and Arik are fighting over what belongs to us going by the concession agreement we had; that GAT (General Aviation Terminal) belongs to us.”

He said it had been tough managing the terminal because of the high cost of maintaining the facility and its inability to generate enough revenue for its maintenance.

“It has been very tough to manage this place because it is a terminal of international standards and there are certain things you must do because of its standard to make sure that you meet certain conditions and those conditions must be met; no excuses. So it has been very, very challenging.

On the supply of electricity to the terminal, Omalale-Ajulo said the BASL was pre-emptively upgrading its power systems to ensure that electricity supply was adequately maintained at the facility.

“Today, we have four giant generators. Those generators are five years old. We didn’t wait for them to break down but we are already upgrading the power system. The upgrade is to enhance the alternate source of power supply. It is going to be in phases. We have brought in two brand new generators and we will provide another two in the second phase.

“We are investing a lot in power supply. We are also investing a lot in maintenance. There are aspects of maintenance we carry out every day. This is whether it is only one airline operating. You must carry out maintenance of certain things.”

He said the terminal had been recognised as the cleanest in the country and the management of BASL intends to maintain that reputation by making sure that the terminal is adequately maintained and all necessary amenities sustained.